Is this Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Erin Stewart and Rebecca Mancini
Liana's Case Study
Prognosis
Liana went to the doctor and began explaining all the symptoms, naming them off one by one (fatigue, shortness of breath, headaches, pale face), in which the doctor suggested she get a blood test, as these are the symptoms of anemia, but they can't be sure unless she gets her blood tested. Because Liana is a runner and the most common form of anemia is iron deficiency anemia, her doctor orders a complete blood count test and an additional serum iron and serum ferritin test. A needle will be used to draw the blood. This CBC blood test looks at the levels of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen and hematocrit, the volume percentage of red blood cells in blood. Her doctor wants to look at her iron levels as well because iron in the blood helps make red blood cells, and having low iron in the body causes less red blood cells to be back, resulting in less oxygen being carried to the body's tissues. Ferritin is the iron storage in the body, so by testing this, Liana's doctor will be able to see how much iron is actually in her body.
Comparison of Blood Samples
Normal red blood cells: healthy red color with large dark iron molecules
Anemia red blood cells: small oval-shaped cells with a more pale color andless iron moleculesTreatment
What exactly is iron deficiency anemia?
Works Cited
"Description of Iron Deficiency Anemia." PERS2002N(CODY): World Hunger. Georgia State University, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://www.catea.gatech.edu/grade/health/descriptions/malPic3.htm>.
Gaudette, Jeff. "Iron Deficiency in Runners." Runners Connect. Runners Connect, 09 Aug. 2011. Web. 12 Mar. 2015. <http://runnersconnect.net/running-nutrition-articles/iron-deficiency-in-runners/>.
"Iron-Deficiency Anemia." Iron-Deficiency Anemia. American Society of Hematology, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <http://www.hematology.org/Patients/Anemia/Iron-Deficiency.aspx>.